This invention relates to the art of jewelry settings and, more particularly, to a jewelry setting which utilizes heart-shaped supporting members to support a precious stone in a manner which enhances the brilliance of the stone and which provides the illusion of a larger precious stone.
Two factors which affect the cost of precious stones in general and of diamonds in particular are the size and the brilliance of the precious stone. It is therefore desirable for the setting in which the precious stone is affixed to maximize the appearance of the size and the brilliance of the precious stone. Various techniques are known to achieve these objectives. In a bezel setting, the girdle of the precious stone is captured continuously about its circumference by a rim or collar. The back of the setting may be open or closed. One advantage of a bezel setting is that material surrounding the precious stone provides the illusion of a larger stone. A disadvantage of a typical bezel setting is that the material surrounding the sides of the precious stone tends to limit the amount of light admitted into the precious stone, which in turn limits the brilliance of the precious stone. A second common setting design is the prong setting, in which typically 4 to 6 prongs extend from a base. The prongs are bent over the crown of the precious stone, capturing the girdle of the precious stone between the prongs and the base. The base may be open or closed. An advantage of the prong setting is that it typically has limited material on the sides to prevent light from entering the precious stone, and thus the brilliance of the precious stone is enhanced. The primary disadvantage of the prong setting is that very limited material on the sides of the precious stone does not tend to enhance the apparent size of the precious stone.
In recognition of the limitations of the existing approaches, the present heart-shaped jewelry setting has been developed to provide a setting which simultaneously creates the illusion of a larger precious stone while also enhancing the brilliance of the precious stone.